Saturday, September 22, 2018

PNA: Duterte gov’t fights corruption in ‘Yolanda’ housing

Some of the incomplete housing units inside Villa De Tacloban in Cabalawan village, a project supported by the Social Housing Finance Corporation / photo grabbed from PNA

Manila, Philippines – The administration of President
Rodrigo Duterte is firm in running after the officials involved in millions of
peso anomalies over the implementation of the community mortgage program meant
for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City.

On Friday, the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) filed a
case before the City Prosecutor's Office.

The charges filed were against the officials of Brigham
Estate Home Owners Association due to its failure to remit payments of
thousands of housing beneficiaries, representing their monthly amortization.

The housing beneficiaries already had a talk with Presidential
Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy,
who led SHFC activities in Tacloban.

“The President is very concerned with housing projects since
it has been five years after the disaster. While we file cases against corrupt
officials, we have to work on completing housing projects,” the PCOO official
said during the housing site visit.

By next week, charges will be filed against Community
Mortgage Program (CMP) community organizer Siony Sia and her cohorts in the
SHFC for overpricing of land acquisition, non-remittance of payments, and
illegal collection of fees from housing recipients.

“I am shocked because multi-million-peso funds are
unaccounted (for). President Rodrigo Duterte wants to punish those behind this
corruption activity. We hope to file cases within the year so we can take over
these projects and complete these projects within the term of the President,”said SHFC Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling, who is
a former Davao City councilor, in a press briefing on Friday night.

Cabling said five SHFC lawyers have been coming to the city
to gather evidences and talk to victims.*

“We want to make sure the case is very tight because we
really want to serve justice to ‘Yolanda’ victims. Let us fight corruption
together as we work to strengthen the project to make houses truly livable,
adequate, and inclusive for poor Filipinos,” He said.

Not only the Brigham Estate in Bagacay village will be
charged and probed, the SHFC is also investigating six other housing sites,
also handled by Mineland Shelter Foundation owned by Sia.

Reportedly, there were about 2,500 beneficiaries in these
anomalous housing projects in the city.

As of this report, Sia, whose accreditation as mobilizer has
been revoked by SHFC, had earlier denied the allegations, but currently cannot
be reached for comment.

Under CMP, the SHFC buys the lot for accredited housing
association members – its beneficiaries will pay SHFC in more than two decades
or 25 years.

The SHFC raised the loan
package from PHP165,000 to PHP250,000 under its loan entitlement. Out of
the mentioned amount, PHP100,000 is for lot acquisition, PHP30,000 for site
development, and PHP120 for housing materials.

In 25 years, there will
be Php474 monthly amortization and an annual interest rate of percent based on
the outstanding balance.

Cabling added that SHFC
has established measures to strengthen communication between the agency and the
communities, through decentralization and streamlining of its processes to
expedite shelter assistance to the underprivileged.